


ARES

by sincerely_v



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Fake Relationship, Undercover, badass sanvers, im trash, space dad J'onn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 08:19:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8571244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sincerely_v/pseuds/sincerely_v
Summary: Alex agrees to go undercover to stop an alien weapons ring with close ties to CADMUS. It is a break from her life but she doesn't realize how dangerous the mission has become. After weeks with no contact, Maggie forces J'onn and the DEO to go undercover as well to help bring down ARES.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This will be about ten chapters. Slow burn sanvers with badassery, fake relationships, real jealousy, and taking down the big bad. I am totally Sanvers trash now so all aboard.

a/n I’m already Savers trash. That is all.

After the disaster of the human held alien weaponry, the DEO focused much of their energy on finding out who supplied CADMUS. It didn't take long to link them to another underground alt group, ARES. The acronym wasn't clear but the group collected, modified and distributed dangerous alien technology. Their work was escalating but the organization was difficult to infiltrate. Much like CADMUS, capturing one base was not enough. It was just another root of the tree. It wasn't until the three humans were killed that they got a definite lead. With that Intel, they found an in to the core leaders. The White House classified this project as higher than any other the DEO was dealing with. Undercover permissions were given and a funding budget out ranking their last 5 projects combined.

J'onn sat at his desk mulling over the candidates. It would require the person to go in deep cover for an undeterminable time and with unknown danger. The individual would have to be skilled in engineering, alien technology and combat. As he went over all the candidates, he knew there was only one that could possibly succeed. He didn't want to admit it, though. The brown hair girl's stock photo stared up at him. As he pondered throwing the docket away, the woman in question knocked on his door.

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

He pointed to the chair across his desk, "Please sit down."

Alex began to get slightly worried. Because of her recent personal discoveries, she had not been fully herself at work. Before J'onn could speak she questioned her reason for being there. "I know I haven't been my best self recently but I promise that I'm going to give the DEO my full attention from now on...and if this is about the time off I requested you can ignore it, I'm fine." She adjusted herself uncomfortably on the chair, hoping her comment cleared up the point of the meeting.

"Actually, Alex, your request for time off is exactly why I called you in. I know the work surrounding Kara has been stressful and sometimes it is difficult to separate her from Supergirl. I have a proposition for you that will take you back to your original work here." For the first year Alex worked with the DEO, she was special ops only. She did more undercover work than any other agent her age.

"I'm listening," she responded, slightly confused.

"We have one chance to infiltrate ARES but it is going to require deep cover and your skill set. I don't know how long this mission will last but if we want to break a hole in CADMUS, we have to start by cutting off their supplies."

All Alex wanted to do was stop CADMUS and potentially find her father. They had done nothing but try to hurt the people she loved and if there was a chance of bringing them down she was going to take it.

"I'm in."

"You haven't heard the mission or talked to Kara," J'onn retorted.

Alex didn’t budge. "It's always been about the cause, she'll understand."

"Let me read you in." He told her all the details he had access to but there were many things she was going to have to learn on her own. ARES lost their best engineer to a contract overseas and were in the market for someone familiar with guns and aliens. They sought to combine human and alien weapons to build better products for their more insidious clients. It wasn't good enough for thugs to have guns anymore; they needed plasma rays that held like a 9mm.

The DEO had crafted a seamless cover and Alex already had an interview with the main brass in Metropolis. If Alex could get into the underbelly of the beast, they could cut it off at the source. The part that concerned J'onn the most was that contact was going to be nearly impossible. These people took paranoia to a whole new level. Alex's mission was simple-identify the major players and try not to get killed. Her name would be Alex Daniels. Parents dead, raised by a grandmother who also passed. Long juvie rap sheet that turned into some time served. Despite her criminal background, she was a child prodigy with degrees in mechanical and biomedical engineering. She got into black market of alien bioware because it paid more than the government. It was a solid cover and Alex was excited to escape her own reality.

Kara told her "no" 15 times. She begged first but the puppy eyes did nothing. She threatened telling their mom but that didn't work either. Finally, she said she would stop being Supergirl if she left. That lasted twenty minutes. Kara finally understood how important this mission could be for Alex finding her father and herself.

The day she was set to leave, they hugged for five minutes, Kara's super strength nearly breaking her back. "Did you tell Maggie?" Kara questioned lightly, afraid to open up that door.

"It's a need to know project.”

Kara prodded more, “If she asks, what should I do?”

“If she asks you as Kara say I'm in Sweden for a co-op. If she asks Supergirl, say you don't even know."

"Please be safe." Kara's eyes were beginning to fill up.

Alex reached up on her toes and kissed her on the forehead. "I promise."

That was six weeks ago. At first, they had good contact with her. They were able to set her up in an apartment that obstructed a lot of surveillance and could be swept for bugs easily.  The interview was as non-traditional as you could get. The candidates were put in a room with minimal tools and weapons and were told to build. They had three hours and at the end, their life depended on the weapon working. She took the core of a plasma gun and the ignition of a hand grenade to make a timed explosive.

The other candidates had gone in the room ahead of her and she heard firing and screeches before silence. They ushered in each person and she wasn’t sure who was making it out. When it was finally her turn, she moved into the concrete room with her small weapon. Above there was a small sitting area where a large dark haired man with a slit over his eye stood watching.

“Ms. Daniels, is that all you have to show us?” He laughed and Alex could see that his teeth were sharpened. She wasn’t sure if he was completely human.

She ignored his comment and stood waiting for the test. There was a worn black circle drawn in the middle of the room and blood smeared the edges. It reminded her of the underground alien fight club. She steadied her breath, hoping her mission wasn’t over before it began. A gate across the room opened and a large alien came barreling towards her. She rolled out of the way, holding her only weapon tight. Luckily for her, he only had his fists. Unlucky, they were covered in spikes. He took one swing over her head and she landed a kick into his chest.

She didn’t understand why they needed an engineer to fight but she was willing to give them a show. He fumbled back a bit but came towards her with even more force knocking her across the shoulder and into the floor. She could feel the hot blood running down her arm. While he stalked her, she got a good look at his physiology. There didn’t appear to be many weaknesses. When he raised his arm to strike again, she spotted what she needed. Inside the scaly underbelly there was a small pocket that connected his soft tissue to the hard exterior of his back.

She took the hit to her side again and positioned herself in an offensive position, her weapon firm in her hand. When he rose to strike again, she knocked his arm out of the way with her left arm, spikes drilling into her skin, and slammed the grenade into the pocket, ripping the cord with it. She knew there would only be three second delay. Using his surprise to her advantage, she kicked him in his certain mass, propelling him to the opposite corner. She dove as well, covering her face. In seconds, the room lit up and his flesh splattered the walls.

She stood up shakily and threw the cord to the black haired man. “What do you think of it now?” she goaded.

He and his colleagues looked down in surprise. “I think you have a job.”

After she reported she was hired, communications slowed down. Surveillance on her was tighter and her introduction into the hierarchy required things she didn’t want to report. There was a slow trickle of names and potential buyers but nothing was enough to bring down the whole organization.

A month later, contact went cold. J'onn noticed it was getting harder with constant tails put on her, and bugs in every location she frequented. At one point, the only way Alex got him a message about a big deal going down was by throwing away a napkin at a grocery store. After that, she didn’t contact at all. J’onn lied to Kara and said Alex was fine but he honestly didn’t know. There were no tips that they were searching for more hires, so he assumed she knew what she was doing.

Kara wasn’t the only one poking around. Maggie Sawyers had become a needle in his side for the past month. When Alex wasn’t assigned to be her DEO contact, Maggie demanded to speak to the higher ups, saying she needed to work with the best. J’onn’s answer that Alex wasn’t unavailable was not good enough. This meant every interaction inside the DEO was a witch hunt for information. If there weren’t double encrypted files, J’onn was sure the detective would steal login information to try and find out about the mission.  

Maggie wouldn’t have been so hard pressed if she wasn’t getting the cold shoulder from her biggest allies. Supergirl went to one word answers and deflections anytime Maggie brought up the agent. She swore that a few weeks ago the Kryptonian let her get hit one more time than necessary before swooping in and saving the day.

Her only other source was Kara Danvers, who was worse. She gave her some bullshit line about Alex doing a research operation in Sweden. Maggie asked if Alex left because of her and cardigan sweet heart Kara told her “don’t flatter yourself.” There was a little remorse in the reporters face but for the most part, she was serious. She was honestly just worried about her friend.

Things changed when a body showed up on the bank of metropolis. The unnatural burn marks on human flesh made it a science division case and Maggie was assigned to the case. She was standing on the shore, gloves on, hunched over the body, when a poof of air disturbed the ground behind her. Without looking, she knew who her guest was. Their interactions of late were cold to say the least. The DEO agent now partnering with the NCPD was also incompetent in Maggie's book so she was losing the battle on all fronts.

"What do you got?" Supergirl walked forward, careful not to step in the crime scene.

"Floater with burn marks all across his chest. ME hasn't called it but I'm saying murder." She pointed to burnt skin that had bloated up from being under for so long.

"Any ID?"

Maggie peeled open a sopping wallet and barely made out the mud soaked words. "Dr. Wallace Baker, Metropolis."

Kara's stomach fell and Maggie could tell. "Friend of yours," she questioned.

Kara ignored her, hitting the com in her ear. "J'onn we have a problem." She was back in the DEO in ten minutes.

"Are you sure, Kara?"

"When was the last time you heard from her?" She walked past him to Winn, who was running point on communications.

"Kara this is still supposed classified from you, you shouldn't even know the doctors name." She turned back, heat in her eyes.

"The guy my sister replaced was just found murdered in the river. I dare you to tell me it's none of my business."

"Winn," she directed herself back to him.

After J'onn nodded he reported, "It’s been silent for two weeks. Her usual check ins have been disrupted by unforeseen clients or tails. I'm tapped into her phones fm radio so they can't trace it and I know she's at least been using the phone."

"I'm going in after her."

J’onn grabbed her arm, holding her in place. "Kara you can't, she is close. She wouldn't want you to risk the chance to bring down CADMUS."

"What if you sent someone else in?" A voice broke into their conversation from the bottom of the platform.

"Is there security anywhere in this building?" J'onn yelled aggressively.

Maggie walked up the rest of the steps. "If she's in trouble I want to help."

"Detective Sawyer you have no idea what you're getting into, or suggesting."

"This is not the first body with this MO," she stated, grabbing J'onns attention. "I follow most of the alien related murder cases across the country. Three other bodies have been found in the past three months from here to Metropolis with the same ligature and burn marks. No arrests made, these cases just keep disappearing."

"You’re over stepping your bounds detective." He walked closer to her, exerting his dominance.

"Don't make this a jurisdictional pissing match or the next body I fish out of the water will be Ale-." She couldn't even finish the horrible thought.

She softened her voice and appealed to Supergirl. “Read me in on this, I have done undercover ops before and I can help…please.”

J’onn looked between Kara and Maggie. The both looked frightened but determined. “Fine, get me all the information you have on the other victims and meet me back her at 1300.” Maggie strutted down the steps but didn’t make it far before she was called back again.

“and detective…” she looked up at the towering man who began to shift form into the green martian. He spoke in a deeper voice. “Alex Danvers is like a daughter to me, if your plan gets her killed, I will end you.”

“J’onn!” Kara couldn’t believe his comment.

Maggie understood replying simply, “Yes sir.” If this gang was as ruthless as they seemed, Alex didn’t stand a chance unless she had another ally on the inside. Maggie just hoped it wasn’t too late.


	2. Options

“You ready for this Daniels?” Alex adjusted the strap of the bag on her shoulder and nodded.

“Yes sir.” They hopped out of the back of a stereotypical black SUV and headed into an even more cliché warehouse. This was the first major deal they let Alex go to. Up to this point she had been stuck in a cellar tinkering with guns and armor. Her only contacts were the sharp tooth Sorin and a handful of lackeys they traveled with. She knew that it was barely the tip of the iceburg but this meet was a good sign.

In the middle of the steel structure, there was a man with coifed hair and wire glasses. As they approached, he placed a silver suitcase on the lone table. Alex kept her stride just behind Sorin, unsure of the protocol. Glasses had his own crew with him but they stayed in the shadows. Her DEO training kicked in and she assessed their surroundings. One sniper, three assault rifles, and two beef cakes who were probably packing various hand guns. Her team wasn’t outmatched by much. Besides herself and Sorin, they had two aliens and an ex-MMA fighter all equipped with Alex’s latest creations.

Sorin assessed the contents of the case and then nodded over to Alex. She put her bag on the counter and pulled out what looked like a 40 caliber glock.

“Is this a joke?” She instantly recognized a thick Spanish accent. “I want to arm my men with the future not the past.”

“Sir, I assure you that this is no ordinary piece of equipment. Alex, why don’t you give our friend a demonstration.”

She cocked the gun and shot it at a steel support beam. It lodged inside and immediately the metal began to melt until there was a hole the size of a grown man’s chest. She waved the gun back around and the man jumped back slightly.

“You can produce this for me?” He asked excitedly.

“With this money and a little time, you will be the most feared man in South America.” Sorin licked his lips, an action that sent chills down Alex’s spine.

Glasses reached out a hand and they both shook. They spent the next few minutes sorting out specifics and Alex was disappointed she didn’t get his name. She memorized all of his identifying features and at least had a relative place of origin. Just as quick as they came, they slinked back into the van and were headed back to base. The whole trip back she tried to think of a way to get this information to J’onn. It wasn’t going to be easy.

Sorin demanded that they go to a local dive bar to celebrate. Alex sat in the back of the bar nursing her second beer. It was the most frequented place by her new people. The entire room was worn wood with years of beer soaked into the floor. There was a pool table in the back that had seen better days and only a few stools that could hold the weight of a grown man. It reminded her of the bar in National City except these patrons weren’t friendly aliens. Instead, she was surrounded by the filth of the city, half of whom she had become closely associated with through ARES.

As she topped off her drink, her least favorite person over the past two months slid into the booth with her. His sharpened teeth greeted her again and he threw an uninvited arm over her. “Daniels, why aren’t you celebrating with us?” He slid his hand lower until Alex shoved it off.

“Not in the partying mood,” She deadpanned. She looked over to the aforementioned crew and had to stop herself from cringing. They were the worst of the worst. Thugs, muscle, hired guns. Some were aliens who couldn’t pass in society so they found solace in the shadows. Others were humans who found crime easier and tax free. She was forced to be amiable with them but it didn’t stop her from getting nauseous when they talked about the latest innocent person they beat for information or money. She raised her glass to them when they made eye contact.

“This is the biggest contract we’ve gotten in months. Boss man is going to be happy.”

Alex perked up at the mention of a higher up. She saw a smooth transition into the topic and took it. “You ever going to fill me on who that is? I might be new but I’m not a fan of feeling out of the loop.”

“As far as anyone is concerned, you are one of the most in the loop people. You think just anybody gets to see what you saw tonight? I’ve got thirty guys pushing merchandise that would have killed for that piece of the action.” Alex didn’t want to push anymore.

“You’re right, don’t want to seem ungrateful.” She flashed him a smile.

He downed the last of what smelled like a jack and coke and smacked his lips. “Jay’s gonna love you.” He slid out and shouted at the bartender for another drink.

“Jay.” Alex whispered to herself. She wasn’t sure if he was talking about the man in charge but it was something. If she could get their buyer and this name to J’onn, she might be home sooner than she thought. She didn’t realize how much she would miss the mundane parts of her old life. She hadn’t had a potsticker in months and she promised Kara not to watch any of their shows until she returned.

She slid out of the booth and went to get another round of Stella. This wasn’t even her favorite beer but it reminded her of Maggie. It kept her a little sane. Even though she was trying to find herself with this mission, the small things to remind her of her life in National City kept her connected to reality. The fifth day on the job she started to enjoy the feeling of one of her weapons impressing people. These people were in awe of her. It felt good, powerful. That night, she ordered Kara’s favorite pizza and watched their favorite episode of Gilmore Girls. It took the edge off a little bit but there was still the nagging thought in the back of her head that enjoyed being on this side of the law.

Tonight felt the same. Firing that gun was one thing but the look on Glasses face is what filled her up. He respected her, feared her. He was there for her. That’s why when they got to the bar, she ordered Maggie’s drink. Each sip brought her back to being Alex Danvers, not Daniels. She missed the beautiful, Latina cop. Beyond being someone she could fall in love with, she was a good friend. Her only friend. She missed beating her at pool. She missed her laugh. 

As she reminisced, a hand once again clasped on her shoulder, “Alex, we’ve got company.” Jordy, the token blonde human, nodded towards the door where a group of women came in. He was excited, slicking his hand through his hair and unbuttoning his shirt to show off his pecs.

These girls were definitely lost with their barely there dresses and ankle breaking heels. Alex couldn’t help but admire, though. Moving to a beaten up part of the country didn’t result in many gay bars and tinder dates. There was a girl who worked at the diner that she became intimately acquainted with, but that was the extent of her adventures.

These women were definitely something. “Ten bucks it’s a bar hop bachelorette party,” Alex commented. He agreed and continued to ogle. 

She ignored the group and went back to drinking and thinking about what she would be doing in National City right now. There were a few scenarios that passed through her head until she landed on her favorite: sitting on the couch sandwiched between Kara and Maggie watching movies and eating Chinese. She smiled at the thought. She wasn’t sure how long she had been off in her own world when Jordy cleared his throat loudly next to her.

“Yo A-dog…” Alex cringed at her nickname and his lack of a decent vocabulary. “…Malibu Barbie has been straight staring at you for five minutes. She’s gotten to at least third base with her eyes.”

Alex casually took a drink and spun around in the direction he was nodding his head. As she made visual contact with the woman, beer started to run out of her mouth and down her face. She quickly recovered, wiping her mouth on the back of her leather jacket.

It couldn’t be real.

She turned back to the counter and put the drink down. When she moved her head back, the same person was still sitting there. A familiar person.

“Bro, you have no game.” Without looking, she elbowed him in the stomach.  The woman waved flirtily.

Alex needed to do something. She turned back to G.I. Douche Bag and put a bill from her pocket on the counter. “Twenty bucks I get her home before you finish your beer.” She hopped off the stool and walked the short distance, grazing her hand along the bar. The woman grabbed the straw of her drink between her fingers and twirled it around, occasionally biting down on the end.

Alex leaned into the maple lip of the counter.“You look a little out of place here,” she commented.

The woman looked up innocently. “Really? This feels just right for a gal like me.” Alex looked back to Jordy who was aggressively downing his drink while still trying to watch their interaction.

“I have two propositions for you," she said cooly. 

“Okay?”

“One, I sit down, buy you a drink, learn your mother’s maiden name and we talk about why you and Becky over there had a falling out in college.” This made the woman laugh.

“or?”

“Or…I get you a drink at my place and we don’t talk at all.” Alex couldn’t believe those words just came out of her mouth. She wanted to take it back but then she noticed the way the woman’s breathing picked up.

“Both are pretty good options. Care to convince me more?”

Alex was done with the pretend flirting. She leaned in close to the woman’s ear. “What the hell are you doing her Maggie?”

Maggie’s eyes made contact with the blonde man and she pretended that whatever Alex said was irresistible. “I guess option two then.” She stood up and grabbed her coat, walking towards the exit. Alex followed stopping by Jordy’s almost finished cup. He slipped her twenty bucks and she gave an over confident wink even though she was trembling on the inside. The cold wind was a blessing to her heated face when she walked out of the bar.

On the inside, Jordy refocused himself to another girl in the bar. He was about to go talk to her when Sorin grabbed him. “Where’s Daniels?” he questioned.

“She is about to get freaky with bachelorette number three.” He laughed at his own joke.

Sorin looked suspiciously at the door and tossed Jordy towards it. “Follow her.”

“Come on boss,” he whined. “Again? Daniels is one of us, she ain’t screwing the enemy.” Sorin didn’t have to respond. He lifted up his shirt revealing the glock from earlier. Jordy held up his hands and stumbled outside.

Maggie walked ahead of them, still dragging Alex’s hand. Alex had parked her bike a block away and she knew it wasn’t long before Sorin sent one of his tails. She couldn’t go to the grocery store without an out of place lug eyeing her in the tampon isle. She waited until she spotted Jordy in plain view before pulling hard on Maggie’s hand.

They were a few feet from the Ducati and Maggie wasn’t sure what Alex was doing. It became clear when her back hit the brick wall of the pizzeria and her mouth clashed with soft lips. Maggie reacted instantly, pulling her hands up to Alex’s hair and pulling her closer. Alex tasted like beer and it was intoxicating. She bit at her bottom lip, causing Alex to push her farther into the wall.

She pulled away and kissed down her neck. Once she was sure Maggie’s hair obscured her face she began speaking. “They follow me everywhere. If they think for a second you’re something more than a girl in a bar, they’ll kill us both.”

Maggie got the message loud and clear. She quickly switched their position. She ran her hands up Alex’s waist and teased her fingers under the hem of her tshirt. Alex didn’t mean to moan so loud and she hoped Maggie would think it was just for show. She rolled her head back, while Maggie kissed down her neck. As she did, she spotted Jordy standing in the middle of the sidewalk, gawking. Maggie roamed higher, her thumb running over the metal of Alex’s bra.

If he didn’t walk away, Alex was sure she was going to publically get to second base. He read her mind and turned back towards the bar. She took Maggie by the neck and brought her up for one more kiss, even though she knew they were safe.

Maggie put their foreheads together and whispered into their shared space, “we good?” Alex could only nod, still trying to recover some breath. She pushed off of the wall and took Maggie’s hand just in case anyone else was snooping.

They rode back to the small apartment she had set up in. They walked up a flight of stairs with peeling paint and flickering lights.

“No offense, but this is kind of a shit hole.” Alex wasn’t sure if that comment was for cover or serious. The outside was awful but she used her large pay to deck out the interior.

“Be patient,” Alex chided. When she opened the door, Maggie was impressed. Everything was chrome and black, sleek and clean. Top of the line appliances, big tv, even touch pad lights.  When they turned into the kitchen, Maggie signaled to her ears and eyes, asking if there were bugs. Alex held up a finger and pushed a hidden button under the island.

“We are fine now.”

“What is that?” Maggie questioned.

“They have the place bugged so it is going to play a simulated version of my evening for them to hear, while we can speak freely.”

“Simulated sex?” Maggie cocked her head.

“Oh yeah…simulation Alex is about to rock bar girl’s world.” They laughed together like their last interaction months ago wasn’t a disaster.

“I missed you Danvers,” she said honestly.

Alex walked over to the fridge and grabbed two more beers, handing one to Maggie. “It’s Daniels here,” she corrected. They both awkwardly took drinks, not sure where to begin. Alex leaned against the counter and asked the same question from the bar. “What are you doing here Maggie?”

“No word from you for two months, maybe I just wanted to catch up.” Alex should have expected sarcasm from the detective.

“I’m serious.”

“You’re in more danger than you think, Alex.” It was odd to hear her first name from the woman’s mouth.

“I can handle myself,” she responded defensively.

“It’s funny because that is exactly what Supergirl said you would say.” Alex instantly felt guilty that her first question for Maggie wasn’t about how her sister was doing. She couldn’t casually look up Supergirl’s latest feats or Kara Danver’s news articles without raising suspicion, so she knew very little. Maggie seemed to read her mind. “Supergirl is fine.” There was a tinge of jealousy in Maggie’s voice. “I’m not so sure she would be happy you made out with me but she hasn't lost a fight since you left.” Alex realized that Maggie thought her concern was beyond platonic.

“She’s just my friend.” Alex said a little too quickly. She covered saying, “And we made out so we didn’t get killed.”

“Right…” Maggie rolled her eyes. “Kara is good too. She still thinks you’re off saving the world in the Nordic.”

There was a heavy air that settled over them and Alex wanted to get the elephant out of the room.“Maggie I’m over your rejection.” 

“I didn’t reject you, Alex.” She defended.

“You said that I was fresh off the boat and friendzoned me. Not many ways to interpret that.”

“Think what you want but I still care about you…We are partners and I dragged my ass to this hell hole to save your life.”

That’s not what she expected. “What are you talking about?”

“The doctor you replaced was found murdered in National City. He’s not the first body found connected to ARES. There are at least five others. All people who the organization saw as expendable and cut ties with. The second you out stay your welcome, they’ll put three in your chest and forget you completely.”

“You could have put me in more danger by showing up. I’m handling this. They just brought me to my first big deal, if anything they trust me more.” Alex was slightly upset that her boss didn’t trust her to get the job done. It felt like before when Kara was always coming in to save the day.

“This is beyond trust. That man you met with tonight will own Mexico if we don’t bring them down in the next month. You cannot mass produce these weapons or-”

“How did you know about that meeting?” Alex interrupted.

“Alex just listen, please. It took you two months to get this far. Do you really think you can take down this whole group with only a month left?” She didn’t wait for a response. “We’ve got to be smart about this. You need someone in there with you so we can make you credible and irreplaceable.”

Alex had been trying to be more liked in the crew. She dealt with their dive bars and strip clubs to seem loyal. She even punched one of her scientists when the work wasn’t moving fast enough to make a point. Maggie was right though. It wasn’t enough. “What’s your plan?”

“Two phases. One, we out a mole. This will prove you’re loyal and your boss will owe you.”

“Everyone here is tight. There isn’t even a waiver in ranks.” If someone smelled even a hint of betrayal they were dealt with, so no one tried.

“I didn’t say they were actually a mole. We just make it look like it. I’ve got everything we need if you have a person in mind. Preferably, a big soldier so the betrayal is harder.” Sorin’s sharp teeth flashed in her mind.

“And phase two?”

Maggie played nervously with her beer. “You’re not going to like it.”

“If we bring down ARES, I don’t care.”

“The more they trust you, the more responsibility you’ll get. My intel says they are going to have a big shipment in from the East coast in two weeks. You need to be there, so when Supergirl comes to the rescue you can save the shipment.”

“No.”

“Alex…” Maggie used her soft voice.

“I’m not fighting her. It could turn bad quick and she could get killed.” Even the thought caused Alex’s throat to tighten.

Maggie put a hand on her arm. “I know she is important to you but you need credibility. It’s the only way to do it in the time frame we have.”

Alex backed away. “No.”

“I promis-”

“These people are more dangerous than any alien we have ever faced…” She cut her hand through the air, “…I am not risking my sister’s life.”

Maggie was stunned by the admission. Before Alex could take it back or say she was “like” a sister, the wheels began turning in her head. It made so much sense. It made so much sense she questioned her abilities as a detective.

“Sister…” she let the word swish around in her mouth. “… okay. I didn’t expect that.”

“You have sisters. Would you risk their life?” It wasn’t a fair question. Maggie’s sisters were teachers and didn’t have super powers from an alien planet.

“It’s about the cause, Danvers. It’s always for the cause. Thousands of people will get to live if we beat them. Superg…Kara knows that…deep down so do you.”

After another thirty minutes of Maggie explaining her seamless plan, Alex accepted defeat. It was nice how easily they fell back into being partners. She walked over to the couch and laid down, hand falling over her face. “Can we finish this tomorrow please? I promise I’ll hear your entire dissertation.”

Maggie sauntered over to the couch and sat on top of Alex’s extended legs. “Of course…except you’re in my bed.”

Alex peeked one eye through her hands. “You can have the bed, it’s the second door on the right. The first door is the bathroom.”

“I’m not kicking you out of your room.” She rested her hand on Alex’s thigh, not realizing the effect she was having. “Although, it’ll give me an excuse to say I slept in the bed of the lady killer Alex Daniels.”

Alex snorted. “I don’t know where that came from earlier. One of the alien’s has super hearing so if I didn’t convincingly seduce you, we were screwed.”

“Well I was…”

“Was what?” Alex yawned out.

Maggie stood up, unintentionally touching bare skin for support. “…seduced,” she said plainly.

As she walked down the hallway, Alex called out for her again. “Hey Sawyer.”

“Yes?” She said hopefully.

“I missed you too.” It felt like too much so she added, "...not many friends would save my life and let me get to second base in the same day."

She could her the thick laugh she missed so much disappear into the bathroom. 


	3. Chapter 3

Alex woke up to a loud crash and what sounded like padding feet on wood. It took her a few moments to remember she wasn’t alone. She rolled over, her back instantly aching from the stiff couch.

“Get up!” Maggie yelled, running into view.

“What?” She asked groggily. Something hit her face hard. She sat up and peeled off the projectile. It was a wadded up shirt.

“Get undressed.” Alex looked up to Maggie in confusion. She blinked a few times, thinking it was a dream as the Detective began to unbutton her pants.

“What?” She said with a little more force.

Maggie could tell she wasn’t awake enough to process too many things at once. She ran down the steps and grabbed the hem of Alex’s shirt, throwing it haphazardly in the kitchen. Alex didn’t protest because this _had_ to be a dream. Maggie continued her movement messing her hands into Alex’s hair. She cocked her head to the side, satisfied with the style she created.

Alex was still dazed, and now slightly cold. Before she could ask what the hell was going on, a loud bang came at the door. Maggie tossed everything on the coffee table to the floor and grabbed a large sheet she had brought in from the bedroom. She wrapped it around her body and slinked to the door, trying not to trip. She ran one last hand through her hair before draping herself on the door frame and opening it. 

The men that stood there were the same group from the night before. “Can I help you?” She blocked the inside with a faux sense of confidence. It didn’t last long when the scariest of the three shoved in the door without an invitation.

He looked around the place and smirked at what looked like the remnants of a fun evening. “Have a good time last night, Daniels?”

Alex instantly shifted back into her cover and matched his tone. “I was hoping it would continue into this morning too.” She winked at Maggie. “Can I help you?”

“You didn’t show up to work. For us, that is always concerning.”

Alex walked out of the living room, not bothering to put on her shirt. She opened the cupboard and began starting a cup of coffee, ignoring him. “Late night. Sorry,” she shrugged. She held up another cup to Maggie, asking if she wanted any.

As Maggie walked over to her, Sorin put his arm out. “You can go.”

“I feel like that is my choice,” she retorted.

He raised his shirt, revealing a gun in his waist band. “Is it?” Alex put a hand under the counter, clutching her own weapon.

“Got a problem with me Sorin,” Maggie asked. He was surprised and instantly turned to Alex, thinking she had talked about him. “Oh, don’t look at her. She doesn’t even know who I really am.” Alex really wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

In a flash, Maggie dropped her sheet and grabbed Sorin’s gun. She twisted him around and had his face pressed into the counter, gun at his temple. Everyone drew their gun on her, including Alex, although she was doing it more to protect her. “Put them down,” she said, holding the gun harder to his head. She gave Alex an imperceptible wink and Alex knew it was okay. She raised her hands in surrender and set her piece on the counter.

“Do you really think Mr. Alvarez would give you millions of his money and not send someone to keep you accountable?” That was Glasses’s real name. Maggie let him up and threw his gun into his hands.

“We didn’t agree to this,” He snarled at her, straightening out his shirt. “Our ventures are private.”

“You want our business? You get me.” She put her hands on her hips, shirtless but intimidating. “You could say he is a little paranoid, you understand.”

Alex looked at Sorin’s expression carefully. He had a few tells. If he was about to kill you he would run his tongue along the bottom of his lip and bare his teeth. If he was considering his proposition he would cross his arms and ask more questions. Luckily for Maggie, he leaned against the counter and but his arms together. “And your business at our bar last night?’”

 “Long trip from Guadalajara… needed to let off some steam,” She smirked. “I was also casing you out. My boss likes to know exactly who he is dealing with. Took me less than 24 hours to find your engineer.”

“Daniels is muscle not brains,” He lied.

“Really? The screw parts littering her apartment tells a different story.” She nodded towards the living room. “She also has a diploma for an engineering degree hanging in the bedroom…I may be muscle but even I can put two and two together.”

“Enough, what do you want?”

“Access. You get a constant line to money and I get to make sure you are screwing us over.” She turned to Alex, licking her lip. “I can also do that thing I did last night…as many times as you want.” Alex’s face flushed just thinking about something Maggie would do to her.

“You know my vote,” Alex nonchalantly grabbed her coffee and began drinking.

Sorin turned to Jordy who still had his gun up. “Check her out.” Blondie slowly lowered his hands and walked out the door. “Alex,” Sorin pointed at her waist with the tip of his gun. “Keep it in your pants next time…we don’t need another Chloe.”

“Yes sir…” she salutes him but he already slammed the door shut.

“Chloe?” Maggie questions after she is sure they are gone.

Alex ignored her. “First rule of undercover, don’t fucking lie to your partner.” She pushes past Maggie, purposefully shoving into her shoulder.

“Come on, Danvers.” Maggie trailed after her, picking up stray pieces of clothing as she did. “I needed you to be just as caught off guard. I didn’t expect them to come to your apartment at seven in the morning.”

Alex went into the bathroom, shutting the door in Maggie’s face. The shower started to run and Maggie couldn’t believe how passive aggressive she was being. She started to walk away when the door opened. “So when you said last night “we” were going to bring them down,” she put her hands in air quotes. “You literally meant you were going to infiltrate as well.”

“This is a two man job,” she argued.

“Well good thing I’m a woman, because you only need one of me.” Alex closed the door.

Maggie slammed her hand on the wall. “Funny…I see you’ve been working on your stand up since you’ve been gone.”

She waited several moments before Alex opened the door again, this time in nothing but her underwear. Maggie was going to have a witty retort but her mind blanked as she raked her eyes over the perfect specimen before her. “Umm…I just think…we shoul-”

Alex cocked her head to the side, “Cat got your tongue?” She knew exactly what she was doing.

“We are partners…You said we were partners,” Maggie composed herself. “We work better together.”

“I know,” Alex conceded. “But you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. They are going to test you. Your strength. Your intelligence. Your loyalty. It’s not pretty.”

“I’m ready.”

“That’s what they all say.”

She whispered the last part to herself, “…the last thing they say.”

Maggie took a quick shower after Alex and they moved into the kitchen for a last briefing before the real test.

“Today, I’m just going to get a feel for everything. I need to know who I’m dealing with before we pick a target.”

Alex put the dishes from their bagels in the sink and made sure everything was turned off. “Maggie you have to understand that this isn’t going to be simple or easy. I don’t know what they will do to you even if your cover comes through.”

“It’ll come through. Alvarez needed a mercenary to run this job and the DEO set me up with a pretty sweet rap sheet. Apparently, I have a double digit kill list.” Alex tensed up and the detective noticed. “It’s not real, Danvers.”

“Everything here is real.”

Alex tried to move to the door but Maggie grabbed her hand. “What are you not telling me?”

“This place isn’t like a Netflix show you can pause when it gets too gruesome or violent. They do things here you can’t unsee…They make you do things you’ll never forget.”

“Like?” Maggie prodded.

Alex couldn’t look her in the eye as months’ worth of things flashed in her head. She pushed it down for the most part and pretended like it was all just a charade. “I don’t want to talk about it right now…but you still have a chance to back out.” She pointed to the door. “If you go there with me, you’ll never be the same.”

“And if I don’t, you could die.”

Alex let out a weak breath. “I’m not worth it.”

Maggie cupped her cheek and rubbed her thumb under her chin. “I wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”

Even though Alex wanted to be bold and say something just as romantic or even make a grand gesture, she did nothing and turned to grab her jacket and keys. If they wanted to beat ARES, their focus couldn’t be anywhere but on the mission.

Regardless, she felt like she had to say something. Before she could, Maggie read her body language. “After all of this is over, I think we should talk…really talk. I obviously have feel-”

Alex interrupted, “When Sorin and whoever this Jay is are in handcuffs, we will deal with _us_ …” she motioned between them. “For now, let’s kick some ass.”

“And what if we have to pretend to be handsy and flirty at the base so they don’t think it’s suspicious when I come to your apartment all the time?”

“I guess we’ll have to suffer through.”

Maggie walked closer, a little too far into Alex’s personal space. Alex could smell the coffee on her breath as she said, “I could go for a little pain.”

She didn’t realize how apt those words were until an hour later when she was being tested on every front. Her identity was vetted down to where she went to grade school. Even though she got the all clear from Alvarez’s camp, they didn’t trust her. They asked about missions, guns, and everything in between. She sat uncomfortably on the other side of an interrogation room while she tried her best not to slip up. 

They hooked her up to a lie detector that was way outside the NCPD budget and grilled her again. The last test was less human. A scaly man with green and yellow stripes down his face sat across from her. She assumed he was telepathic because he just stared into her eyes without saying a word. Winn had put a chip in her that would only transmit answers her cover would use. After the most boring thirty minute staring contest, he gave a nod to the people standing behind the glass.

She assumed she passed because they moved her out and into a training room. As they shuffled her from place to place, she tried to get a feel for the layout. They were underground in a concrete hull. There was an odd buzzing noise that came through the walls every twenty minutes like clockwork that she figured was the close subway station.  In the open spaces, wooden crates littered the floors. The only one she could see that was open had black objects in it, presumably weapons. Each section of the building was heavily guarded by gutstappo looking men with serious expressions and an anxious trigger finger.

She was pushed aggressively into a small room with black pads. It looked like the training gym from the DEO. She straightened her jacket, unhappy with the manhandling. “You wanna arm wrestle now?” She asked sarcastically.

The man didn’t speak. He pushed a button and another section of the wall opened, revealing a firing range. There were several guns set up and the standard targets a fair distance away. They were testing her again.

“Are you kidding me? I’m here to observe not get interviewed for a job.” She was about to argue some more when Sorin walked into the room. He wore a dark suit with a blood red tie, much cleaner looking than he was that morning.

“If you’re going to be here, you might as well be useful…a woman of your acclaim shouldn’t have any issues with a measly ten yard shot.” Taunting was Maggie’s Kryptonite.

She walked over to the guns and picked up the first one. She turned back to Sorin and balanced it in her hand, pointing it directly at him. This was a game of chicken he didn’t want to be a part of. The weight felt about the same as her standard piece. She peaked over her shoulder and judged the distance, about two yards more than the range at the precinct. Doing a quick calculation in her head, she looked back to Sorin, never breaking eye contact as she unloaded her entire clip.

As the target was pulled closer by her escort, she threw the gun into Sorin’s chest, just as she had done earlier. “We’re done here.” She pushed past him into the hallway as he looked on at her ten shots directly at center mass.

In the hallway, she waved down a friendlier looking kid. “Care to direct me to the lab?”

“Do you have clearance?” He responded like a good little brainwashed soldier.

Before she could answer, Sorin caught up to her in the hall. “Ms. Sanchez is to have access to all operations directly related to the Alvarez account, including the lab.” He pulled out a black smartphone from his inside pocket and held it out. Maggie took it without question. “I have a special project I need you to handle tonight. The details will be sent here.”

She clicked the lock button and a picture of Alex appeared. “Cute.” She rolled her eyes.

“I thought it was a nice touch…I’m a sucker for office romance.” His smile made her want to shower about a hundred times and potentially burn her eyes out with a bottle of bleach. “You seem to have taken quite the interest in our little nerd” He finished, his tone was slightly suspicious.

“If I’m going to be here a while, I like to have a little entertainment.” He seemed satisfied with her answer and left her. When she went down to the lab to find Alex, she was closely followed by at least three people. She noticed one as the alien in the bar with super hearing. She made a note to not say anything while he was around, no matter how quiet.

The opaque door opened with the kid’s security badge and she walked into a room that would make any geek’s mouth water. She didn’t even know what half of the stuff was but it looked cool. She spotted Alex on the other end of the room, hunched over a strange looking object. Her face was obscured by hilarious looking magnifying glasses but Maggie could recognize the woman from a mile away.

She walked around the tables and stood behind the engineer, silently. When Alex let up on the drill she was using Maggie leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Whatcha doing?”

Alex was lucky her DEO training and having Kara as a sister had prepared her for this. She barely budged at the disturbance. “Taking a part an alien particle accelerator.”

“Which means?” Maggie asked seriously.

“Which means if I slip and fire the core in this room I’ll create a black hole that will either consume us completely or take us back to an unspecific time in the past.” She looked back to the woman, her eyes four times bigger than normal through the glasses.

Maggie was actually nervous, unconsciously taking a step back. “Seriously?”

“No.” Alex set down the drill and took off her magnifiers. “It’ll make an annoying popping sound and probably burn my finger.”

Maggie glared at her. “God, you’re a nerd.”

Alex’s mind went back to the last time Maggie said that and she smiled like a middle schooler with a crush. Her mind landed back in reality and she realized they were being too chummy for people who “slept together” once.

She moved it back to business saying, “How can I help you Ms. Sanchez?”

Maggie heard the change in tone and got the message. “Just wanted to know if you could give me a timeline on this whole thing. I know projections are estimates but they are better than nothing.”

Alex stood up and went over to her messy desk. There were old coffee mugs that had slightly browned from never being washed and dozens of pieces of paper with a few words scribbled on the edges. She moved a large stack from one part of the black desk to the other and wiped her hand over it, pushing dust into the air. “Here we go.”

She pulled out a blank sheet of paper and put it down on the free space. She began drawing a complex schematic of something. Once the rough sketch was done, she held it up and started explaining using her pen as a pointer. “Your gun is pretty simple. It is a standard 40 caliber gun but the bullets are the special part. Incased in a hybrid steel sheath is the venom from a Rasher alien that can melt pretty much anything it comes in contact with. I made the casing out of the same genetic material as the Rasher’s mouth tissue that is obviously resistant to its affect. The second the bullet hits a target, it collapses on itself releasing the poison. As long as you hit them, they won’t be getting up.”

Maggie was impressed and alarmed. It was a brilliant piece of equipment but extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. She knew that Alex had to do her job but she could do it a little less well.

“You are full of surprises, Danv…iels,” she caught herself quickly and didn’t think anyone noticed.  

Alex blew past the slip up. “Once I get enough venom, we can have you shipped out completely in a month.”

Maggie took the piece of paper and folded it up, putting it in her pocket. “I guess I’ll have to keep myself busy until then.” The phone in her pocket buzzed and she pulled it out, seeing a place and time from Sorin. “Shouldn’t be too hard with your boss already on my ass.”

Alex didn’t expect Sorin to bring Maggie in so quickly. It could be a good sign that all of her screening came up clean. It could also mean that Sorin is trying to get rid of her quickly.

A few hours later, Maggie wasn’t sure if that ass kicking she was getting was good or bad, it just hurt. There was a Lyra Metahuman trying to sell on ARES terf and Sorin wasn’t having it. Unfortunately, this guy was familiar with most of the local muscle so knew when he was being set up. Maggie was a fresh face making the meet up easy. As soon as he started pushing her weapons, she tried to take him out.

This led them to this moment where she was pinned into a wet wall in the middle of two towering buildings. Her lip was already bleeding and he had a tight grip on her throat. She felt around to the edges of the dumpster and curled her hand around something heavy and long. She took a note of it before bringing her hands down hard on his forearms, breaking the lock he had. She used his confusion to knock him back. Reaching again for the piece of rebar, she swept it under his feet, knocking him to his back.

Maggie slammed the piece of metal into his stomach, causing him to curl in. She kicked him once, rolling him over. Putting her foot into the crease of his neck she warned, “Tell your friends this area is ARES only.”

“Or what?” He choked out. His tone was taunting and Maggie could feel eyes on her. She started to understand what Alex was warning about. In her previous undercover gigs, it was mostly sleazy low level drug dealers or pimps. She had only seen two people get killed in her whole time under. These people felt different. Like killing was a part of the game.

She was waiting too long as she knew it. Before her record as a cold blooded assassin could be questioned, she raised the bar and drove it through his thigh. He screamed in pain, grabbing at the rusted piece of metal. She knelt down to his level, twisting it in farther. She said in a low voice, “If they had a crack at you, you’d be dead. Leave.” She popped it out, and blood splashed on her favorite jacket.

She let him stand up and hobble out of the alley way, hoping he was smart enough to find a doctor. Behind her, two faces emerged. One she liked more than the other. Sorin began clapping obnoxiously. “Your new girlfriend has a way with words, Daniels.”

“You should have heard her last night.” Sorin eyed Maggie up and down like she was a piece of meat. Alex didn’t like it and instinctively moved closer.

Maggie felt disturbed too and wanted to exit stage right as quick as possible. “If that is it for the day, I’d like to go home and get some of this blood out of my shirt.”

“I’m going to go too.” Alex walked past them both, unsure of why Sorin brought her out here in the first place.

“Daniels,” he called. “You’re not going to offer our new partner a ride?”

“If I drive, she isn’t going back to her hotel.”

Maggie threw the piece of rebar into the garbage and brushed the dirt on her jeans. “Sounds good to me.” She walked up to Alex and reached into her front pocket, grabbing the keys to the Ducati.

Sorin moved next to Alex, watching the woman saunter away. “She’s a cocky son of a bitch,” He patted Alex roughly on the shoulder. “I’m only keeping her around for you so don’t say I never did nothing for ya.”

“Sir, yes sir.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phase one of their plan to bring down ARES gets set in motion.

a/n So I am co-writing another fic right now but I really loved this premise and I want to finish it out. This is going to be shorter and more to the point than the other one. Also, less fluff or more just badassery

 

When they got back to Alex’s apartment, the first thing Maggie did was remove all of her clothes. Unfortunately, it was for business not pleasure. She left her jacket and shirt on the counter while she went into her bag to put something else on. Alex set her bags down too and went into the utility closet to get her blood kid out. Maggie came out in an oversized tshirt and boxers but Alex shooed her away. “Go take a shower…I’ll take care of this.”

Maggie ignored her, walking closer to grab the jacket to start cleaning. Alex swatted at her hand. “I’m serious.” She moved her hand up and picked a piece of dried blood out of dark hair. “You need to wash this day away. Hot water makes everything better.” Maggie conceded with a thanks and headed to shower.

Alex meticulously cleaned the blood spots with baking soda, hot water, and a secret ingredient. She used a cotton swab and scrubbed until it was a faint stain. The leather jacket was harder because it couldn’t be thrown in the wash. Alex was just finishing with the zippers when Maggie came out of the shower in the same blue and red clothes but her hair wet and loose. “You’re right Daniels, showers make everything better…although I might have enjoyed it more if you were in it.”

“I already turned off their mics,” Alex said, indicating they didn’t need to keep up appearances.

“Still would have been more fun,” Maggie teased. In return, Alex threw her half cleaned jacket at her. Maggie slid into the chair next to her and grabbed a swab to finish the work. Alex went ahead and got two glasses and some strong alcohol.

She drank half the glass before asking, “Are you okay?”

“Busted lip, cracked knuckles…nothing an aspirin and some whiskey can’t fix.” Alex went ahead and reached in her freezer grabbing a bag of peas that had seen their fair share of bruises. She reached across and pressed it to the lump that was forming at Maggie’s cheek.

“You also drove a piece of rebar through a man’s leg.” Maggie pushed the jacket to the side, resigned to worry about it later, and held the peas steady. Alex retreated back to her side of the island, folding her hands around her glass.

“He was a bad guy,” Maggie qualified.

“They aren’t all, though.” Alex responded somberly. “Sometimes the people they will ask you to hurt aren’t what you expect.”

“Well the ends will have to justify the means, right?” Alex wanted to say yes but she had gotten to the point where she wasn’t so sure. People always say that the few to save the many is worth it but it’s different when your hands are around the throats of the few. “After seeing what this place is like, I don’t know how you’ve gone it alone this long. I would have gone crazy…or turned.”

“I have to catch myself occasionally. I enjoy parts of this a _little_ too much.” She looked away. “It’s been nice to not be me for a while...to be someone who is respected, appreciated, hell feared a little bit. That kind of feeling can be intoxicating.”

She was surprised when a cold hand settled over hers. “Alex you…just you is enough.”

The red head laughed hollowly. “You didn’t seem to think so a few months ago.” There it was again. Maggie released her hand and crossed her arms. Alex instantly regretted how cold she sounded. This wasn’t the time for that. “That was a cheap shot…Maggie I didn’t mea-”

“Yes you did.” The detective smiled at her sadly. “I can’t give you a reason or an explanation that will satisfy you but Alex please know you were always enough…it was me who couldn’t cut it.”

They settled into silence. Maggie set the peas down and began finishing her jacket while Alex threw her other clothes into the washer. When she walked back in she decided to change subjects all together. “How are we going to get into Sorin’s phone? The drop is two days. If we want to set him up for it we are going to have be quick.”

Maggie appreciated that they got back to work. “Has something ever happened to his phone before? A cracked screen or a virus?”

“A few times.”

“Where did he send it to?”

“To me…” Alex shook her head, realizing where this was going. “We have to break his phone.”

“I was thinking spilling water of coffee on it. It would be a five second fix for you but you could upload the incriminating data on it.” Maggie reached into her bag that was sitting on the counter and pulled out a small block. “Get this anywhere near his phone and Winn says it’ll do all the work for us.”

“What exactly does that entail?”

Maggie cleared the counter of any papers and pulled over both of their glasses and the salt and pepper shaker for demonstration. “Here are the basics of the plan. Once we get the phone chipped, it’ll send out a text to him that says there is a mole so he needs to meet this person at an isolated location for information.” Maggie moved the salt shaker to the middle of the table.

“The person isn’t going to actually show but it’ll get Sorin’s phone GPS there. Then, on Friday we are going to disrupt the drop. It’s going to look like someone tipped whoever it is off.” She moved the two glasses to the other side of the table away from the Sorin salt shaker. “Here’s the important part, you are going to ‘find’ a phone from the assailant. When they track it, they’ll find messages from Sorin’s phone and the exact GPS location from the night before.” She moved the glass over to the salt shaker. “Then boom…” she knocked it over, spilling white crystals everywhere. “Sorin goes down as a mole and you’re the hero because you found him.”

Alex assessed the plan not finding too many faults in it. She also grabbed a pinch of salt off the counter and threw it behind her shoulder. She wasn’t one to test fate. “Okay, but Sorin has a lot of trust built up…and you’re new. You don’t think they’ll suspect it was the new, stranger?”

“That’s where that blonde kid comes in.”

“Jordy?”

“You need to keep your allegiance with everyone. So, you need to tell him that you’re suspicious of me. Suggest that he tail me or something and then it will give me a full proof alibi for all of it. You also need to create some doubt about Sorin. Question anything and everything to as many people as you can. If you can get someone to tail him too, that would solidify everything.”

Alex clicked her tongue, impressed. “This is a good plan.”

“Why so shocked Danvers?” She raised an eyebrow. “You think you feds corner the market on undercover missions?”

“I have a huge amount of respect for the local law enforcement…but the NCPD? Y’all are basically mall cops with bullet proof vests.”  She said it with a humorous tone but it didn’t stop Maggie from launching the whole bag of cotton swabs at her.

“If my fists weren’t throbbing, I’d be feeding you a knuckle sandwich.”

Alex decided to test the water replying, “Got anything else I can eat?”

Maggie was stunned. She tried to respond but the words Alex had just said, paired with the lusty tone, paired with how she was looking at her, froze her. “Ummm…I…”

“What’s wrong, Sawyer?”

“Nothing,” she said lamely.

Alex smirked and put a mental check in her win column for the evening. “Well, I’m headed to bed and you’re kind of in my room.” She circled the area with her fingers landing on the couch.

“You don’t have to sleep there. I can or the bed is plenty big enough.”  She regretted saying that immediately.

“Can you keep your hands to yourself?” Alex teased. “I know you got a peek earlier and I’m hard to resist.” The agent thought humor would lighten the atmosphere. She was right.

Maggie put one hand over her face to cover up the slight flush and used the other to point to the bedroom. “Just go, please.” She was pretty sure she would take death by Sorin over this. She didn’t realize that confident, flirty Alex Danvers was her weakness. She messed up. She messed up _bad_. And Alex was going to make her pay for it for the next month.

Sleeping in the same bed felt unnaturally natural. They both preferred opposite sides and never ventured into the other’s territory. At most, there was an errant hand that found its way settled on a hip. Maggie didn’t snore but she did do a slight whimper when she wasn’t fully asleep. Every time she would come in and out of REM, she would make the small noise. Alex thought it was cute and adjusted to it by the second or third time. She didn’t snore either but she was a serial adjuster. She moved through a series of movements like yoga where she would be on her side, then her back, then curled in, curled out and finally face down arms above her head. Somehow, the sleep exercise didn’t even phase Maggie who kept in the same position, arm curled under a pillow all night.

Alex woke up first before six thirty and got coffee started. It wasn’t much later that Maggie was enticed awake but the aroma of caffeine. They ate in sleep silence and finished off their coffees before heading to the facility on Alex’s bike.

Alex had an early meeting with her scientists so it was up to Maggie to find her way around and implement mission _Break the Iphone_. She found the closest Keurig machine, because even nefarious criminal organizations needed over the top coffee. She made herself a cup and sipped it lightly so there would be enough in there if the opportunity arose. The phone Sorin gave her buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out revealing a room number. She nudge a red headed lackey and he directed her down a few hallways.

When she opened the door, she was in luck. Sorin was sitting at a long table with another beefy looking man with a long scar over his left eye. He was quickly introduced as Carter. They exchanged pleasantries and sat down. Maggie had no clue what was going to happen but her main focus was to locate Sorin’s phone. He made her job easy when he took it out of his pocket and set it on the counter.

“Ms. Sanchez, I was just telling Carter here about how successful you were last night. While you are with us, he would like to recruit you for his team.”

“As much as I appreciate the offer, I don’t work for you.”  Maggie set her coffee down, trying to figure out how it would look natural to spill it.

“Cupcake this isn’t wall street. If you are here, you work.” He nodded and Carter pulled out some folders. “These are new recruits we want to bring into the fold. We want you to evaluate them, test them, and potentially train them.” For affect, Carter let the files drop on the table harshly. Her cup did her job for her, toppling over and pouring brown liquid everywhere. Carter was quick to save the folders but Sorin wasn’t quick enough and his phone was covered.

“Shit!” He jumped up and began rubbing it on his over the top leather jacket. Much to Maggie’s pleasure, the screen flashed before it went dark. “Stay here!” he instructed forcefully. He marched out of the room and went straight to where they thought he would.

“Daniels,” he interrupted her meeting, slamming his knuckles on the glass.

“Yes?” she excused herself and walked over to him.

“Your dumbass girlfriend spilt coffee all over my phone. You have five minutes to fix this or I’ll put a bullet in her head for the hell of it.” Alex tensed but kept up her confident persona.

“I’m having better sex than I’ve had in years. If you kill her, I’m gonna kill you.” She took the phone and went over to her desk. She grabbed a towel and a quick dryer. He paced in front of her manically. She nonchlanatly reached in her desk and pulled out the block. She set it down near the phone and began opening up the back plate to dry it out. The coffee had barely gotten anywhere. If he would have just waited a minute, it would have come back on itself.

She watched the block slowly light up blue. Maggie said it was done uploading if all five dots were blue. There wasn’t much else to do, so she put on a show, tinkering and moving things. Slowly the dots started to light up and she put the back on. When the final light popped up, she hit the on button and the screen came on. As soon as he saw this, he snatched it out of her hands. “Always saving my ass, Alex.”

She gave him a sickly sweet smile. “Yes sir.”

He returned to the conference room where Maggie had cleaned up everything else. She had also talked to Carter and determined this was the least dangerous job she could get assigned and should take it. “I accept your proposition. Do you have a place where I can review these files?”

“Daniels has an office she doesn’t use. Just ask her.” He waved her off, to concerned with making sure his phone was functioning properly. As she started to walk out the door, his phone buzzed. She looked back and his face got tight. She knew what it was. “Carter you can go too.” His eyes didn’t leave the screen.

Maggie walked out with a satisfied smile on her face. She walked down the hallway with Carter and decided to plant her own seeds of doubt. “Is he always that dismissive?” The man grunted so Maggie pressed harder. “He just seemed on edge.”

“I would be too if I had Jay breathing down my neck.” He stopped moving and turned to her. “I know you’re new so I’m going to give you some lifesaving advice…always say yes and never ask questions.”

“I’ll take that under advisement.”

He folded his arms and buffed out his chest. “You got a death wish?”

“My job here is to make sure my client gets his product on time and for the right price. If I don’t like the people doing that, I’m going to say something.” She mirrored his pose, not backing down.

“You think Sorin ain’t good people?” The flinch in his eyebrow gave him away. Maggie knew she had his attention or he at least had a previous suspicion.

“I’ve been at this a long time. The reason I’m still alive is because I can read people. What I read back there wasn’t pretty.” She patted his shoulder condescendingly and walked away, leaving him to chew on that information.

In the lab, Alex was finishing her interrupted ‘staff’ meeting. She dismissed them as she saw Maggie rounding the corner. “You know I just saw you an hour ago, right?”

“What’s the point of sleeping with a coworker if you can’t have sex at work?” Alex left the question hanging, picking up her papers from the table and moving to her desk. Maggie followed asking a real question, “Rumor has it that you have an office I can commandeer.”

Alex nodded her head to follow and they went into the back area of the lab where there was a dark, undecorated office. She unlocked the door and swung it open. “Is there a reason you don’t use this?”

“Too far away from my lab bench. I wouldn’t get anything done if I couldn’t constantly go between my designs and my tools.”

“You poor little control freak,” Maggie laughed, setting down the stack of folders.

“What’s that?” Alex pointed to the pile on her clean desk.

“Your boss wants to make me useful. He gave profiles on some recruits and wants me to weed them out and train them.” She walked behind the desk and sank into the surprisingly comfortable chair.

“Super assassin isn’t going to get bored doing paperwork?”

“It’ll be a nice vacation.” She smiled warmly as she plopped open the first file.

“You know where to find me.” Alex walked out and headed to fulfill her end of the plan. She checked in on a few of the projects and then walked the short distance to the common area. It was already a little after nine and she wasn’t surprised to see the first wave of people still drinking their coffee. She spotted the first of her targets sitting alone, reading what looked like People magazine. Grabbing a cup of black coffee, she walked over and slid in across him.

“Morning Jordy!” she said a little too cheerfully.

He lowered the magazine and looked at her suspiciously. His furrowed brow quickly turned devious. “You’re happy this morning…doth my eyes deceive me or did someone get laid last night?”

“I can smile without having sex,” she argued.

“Sure, A-dog…except I know your sex smile and _this_ is your sex smile.” Alex swatted his arm. “Hey! Don’t hate…trust me we _all_ miss Chloe. You were nicer then.”

“Please don’t bring that up.” Alex buried her face into her coffee. Chloe was a sensitive subject for everyone.

Jordy put down the magazine and gave Alex his softest, puppy like smile. “Alex, diner girl was a liability. You knew you could never be serious with her.”

“It was nice to have someone who wasn’t in all of this,” she circled her finger around.

“Now you have Malibu Barbie…and from the looks of it that is going _very_ well.” She didn’t realize she started to blush until Jordy was poking at her cheeks with his spoon and making fun of her. “Someone’s in lurv…”

“You know I could kill you eighteen different ways with that thing,” she warned. He put it down but didn’t stop smiling. In all of the people she met, Alex liked Jordy the best. He was a good kid who had a rough life and found a way to survive. If they ever got out of this, she was going to try and make a special exception for him and bring him into the DEO. He started reading his gossip magazine again and Alex swirled her coffee trying to find an organic way to raise suspicion about Sorin.

“Can I ask you something about the bar the other night?” He shrugged his shoulders. “Were you following me afterwards?”

The blonde looked like a kid who just got called out for cheating. “Look Alex, I just follow orders. I told him you were clean but he made me do it anyways. I know you’re one of us.”

“Sorin?” Another head nod. “What’s his deal lately? It’s like he doesn’t trust anyone. Have you noticed that?”

Jordy scanned the room before whispering, “He has been super secretive the past two weeks. I have had to double down on security everywhere and he doesn’t come out of his office, like ever.” Alex nodded, giving him the cue to continue. “I have seen him on the phone recently talking in a hushed voice.”

“Me too!” she lied.

“I don’t know if it’s this big deal next week or what but he is seriously acting weird. I don’t know if I should say anything o-”

“I’ll talk to him about it,” Alex reassured him. “On another note, I wanted to ask you a favor.”

“Anything A-dog.”

“Maggie is fun but that doesn’t mean I trust her. I don’t know her loyalty yet and she won’t break around me. Can you keep an eye on her, maybe follow her tonight? I want to know if she goes anywhere else.” He gave her a _sure_ and she excused herself, putting another check in her win comment.

Throughout the rest of the day, Maggie stayed in the corner office reading through report after report on teens or twenty somethings with records and shady pasts. She felt bad for some of them but others she didn’t understand why they weren’t behind bars. Alex kept herself pretend busy while casually dropping to other people that something felt ‘off’ about Sorin. As she made her rounds, more and more people had a similar opinion. It wasn’t difficult to lay the ground works of deceit. She also watched humorously as Jordy lingered around Maggie’s office. Even when the detective went to the bathroom, he would discreetly follow her.  

Around three, Sorin came into the lab announcing he was taking the rest of the day for a private client meeting and would see them tomorrow. Jordy gave Alex a look and she did her best _this seems suspicious_ look. When he left, she walked over to him. “This is going to sound crazy, but what are the chances we can get a tail on him?”

“Brent owes me a favor and has today off. If something is up we’ll know.” Alex left it up to him and began wrapping up her own things.

At four, she knocked on the door frame and Maggie popped up her head, nearly delirious from all the information she had been absorbing. “Take out and Netflix?” she suggested.

“God yes.” She looked around the corner at the blonde eyeing her. “I’m pretty much done here why don’t I go get the food and meet you back at your place.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Maggie made it a point to go to a few different places before picking up the food so Jordy would tail her. She went to the gas station and filled up, the grocery store for some paper towels because Alex didn’t have anything that resembled a napkin and finally she got the food. The place they picked was at least twenty miles from where Sorin would be, giving them an air tight alibi.

Alex surprisingly beat her back and she was greeted with a glass of wine and Stranger Things on the tv. “You still haven’t watched this?” she asked surprised, setting down the steaming food.

“It felt like a two person kind of watch. That way you can decompress each episode or point out things.” Alex went over to a dish on the coffee table and came back with two military grade laser pointers. “I haven’t had anybody to use these with except Ch-”she removed her foot from her mouth before saying, “I call it questions, comments, concerns. You can pause it at any moment or as you go just highlight things like camera crew in the shot or funny background actors.”

She was hoping Maggie missed her slip up but the detective was very good at detecting. “You had Chloe over here?” She busied her hands with plating the food so she didn’t seem so insecure about it.

“Ummm…yeah.”

“She someone serious?”

“She was someone real. The first month I was here I went to this mom and pop diner at least once a day because it felt nice to be around good people. Chloe was always my waitress and was super sweet. She noticed I started to look upset so she made me mix tapes of only super happy songs. One thing led to another and we ended up in this…situation.”

“What happened…if you don’t mind me asking?”

Alex fiddled with the chopsticks, feeling suddenly very exposed. “I applied rational thinking to the situation. I work a dangerous job for dangerous people. I would never want to put her in harm’s way just because I was lonely and missing y-” she coughed. “National City…missing National City.”

“I’m sorry.” Maggie knew those were the right words to say but she didn’t really believe them. In all honesty, if she would have shown up and Alex would have had this woman in her bed she would have been crushed. Even though the whole reason they never got together was her fault, she still felt so much for this woman that even hearing about another person in her life made her sick.

Alex shrugged it off. “It doesn’t matter now…what matters is this delicious food and some eighties throwbacks.” They made their way over to the couch and settled in like they weren’t fighting an uphill battle against a rogue organization or like they weren’t framing someone who would kill them if he found out. Instead, they sat close together, stealing final bites off each other’s plates and laughing at Wyonna Ryder playing with Christmas lights.

After several episodes, the plates were discarded on the table and somehow Alex had found her head rested on Maggie’s shoulder, asleep. Maggie didn’t have the heart to move her. The woman looked so exhausted. She held the weight of the world on her shoulders and even in her sleep her brow was tensed like she was still fighting. Maggie gently guided her off of her shoulder and into her lap, running her hands through her short hair softly. Alex’s jaw began to relax and Maggie could feel her whole body release the built up tension.

She really had no idea what Alex had been through the last two months. She hoped in the future that the agent would let her in but she knew it had to be on Alex’s terms. Right now, all she wanted to do was give her peaceful night of sleep. She stopped her motions and reached for the remote. “Please don’t stop,” a quiet voice said. Maggie was pretty sure it was Alex’s unconscious. She set down the remote and continued to rub small circles into Alex’s back and brushed her hair back behind her ears. Twenty minutes later, she passed out as well, an arm slung over Alex’s waist and the other at her side.


End file.
